Tenchi Confusion
by jayb
Summary: Based on the original OVA, I always have felt that it left a large opening for Tenchi's true love.


**TENCHI - CONFUSION**

The door to Tenchi's room opened quietly and Ryoko slowly entered carrying a tray with breakfast and a cup of hot tea. She closed it just as quietly. Going to the bed she sat on the edge and leaned over the sleeping love of her life and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Good morning, my dear. I thought you might like a little breakfast in bed this morning. And some dessert too, if you would like." She gave a big smile.

Tenchi opened one eye, and smiled up at her. "Always trying aren't you?" As he began to sit up, the bedroom door had already started to open again. This time Ayeka stood in the opening, also with a tray of breakfast.

"Always trying what, Tenchi? Ryoko, what are you doing in my Tenchi's room at this time of the morning? Why are you bringing breakfast to him? I thought it was for you!" Moving toward the bed Ayeka's face began to show anger. "Tenchi, I wouldn't eat that if I were you. That pirate can't cook, and it will probably poison you!"

Ryoko stood up still holding the tray in one hand. Tenchi tried to sit up a little more in the bed, and the covers slipped down some. Ayeka leaned closer to Ryoko and stared her in the eyes. Ryoko gave her the same look back. If looks could really kill, there would have been two bodies on the floor.

"You shouldn't be in here bothering my Tenchi. He doesn't need to look at something so ugly this early! He needs to see my perfection the first thing to start his day off right."

"Oh, yeah, you prissy princess! And what makes you think he wants to look at you? Where's the mirror so I can look at perfection! Tenchi, my love, she is just trying to copy me!"

The two trays began to lean this way and that, as the girls reached for each other with their free hands. Tenchi's eyes got bigger as he watched the food trays and hot tea drift over him, tipping every direction.

"Girls, wait! Stop arguing! Watch what you're doing!" He was trying to back away toward the top of his bed to get out of the way. In what seemed to be slow motion he watched both trays tip at the same time, and the hot food and tea spill toward his uncovered lap. Everything hit the center of the unintended target perfectly.

Howling in pain, Tenchi jumped from the bed and ran from the room trying to pull the hot liquid soaked pajamas off as he ran toward the toilet room. Ryoko let go of Ayeka and tried to follow after him. Ayeka did a flying tackle in the doorway, and they began to fight again.

"Let go of me miss ugly princess! I have to help my Tenchi with his injuries!"

"Help him with his injuries? You just want your hands on him! I on the other hand want to give him proper nursing care. Now back off you pirate!"

Nobuyuki was coming up the stairs as Tenchi ran past trying to strip off his pajama pants. He looked at the two fighting girls in the bedroom door and gave a knowing smile. Calling out to his fast disappearing son he gave what he thought was a good piece of advice.

"Son, you have to watch out when you have two at once. Otherwise these things can happen."

Seated at the dining table downstairs, Yosho sipped his morning tea and listened to the crashes, shouts and yells coming from upstairs.

"Hum, Tenchi must be up finally." He took another sip.

Sasami was placing some breakfast things on the table. Shaking her head she gave a sigh. "Sounds like you're right, grandfather. I'd better go see what needs to be done."

She walked up the stairs, picked up the soaked pajamas from the hall floor, and passed the grunting fighters in the doorway. Shaking her head at the mess on Tenchi's bed, she began to pick up the dishes and cups. As she began to strip the wet bedding Tenchi came back down the hall with a towel around his waist.

Stopping by the fighting girls he barely held back his anger. "All right you two, let's stop the fight right now! Both of you out! Go downstairs, go outside, just go somewhere away from my door! Now!"

Ayeka and Ryoko stopped long enough to look up at the angry face of their one and only love.

"But Lord Tenchi, it was all this pirate's fault! She made me drop the tray!"

"Tenchi, you know the truth! The ugly princess made me do it!"

Pointing toward the stairs Tenchi closed his eyes and bit his lip trying not to reply to either girl. "Downstairs! Now! Go!"

The two bedraggled girls got up and headed down the hall, growling at each other under their breath. Tenchi went into his room and shut the door. Leaning against the door he shook his head and gave a deep sigh of frustration.

"Tenchi, I need you to tuck in the sheets on the other side of the mattress, please."

He looked up and saw Sasami with a pile of wet sheets on the floor and struggling to get the fresh ones put on.

"Oh, right." He did his part and turned toward the dresser as Sasami gathered up everything.

"Tenchi, please bring down the trays and dishes when you come, I can't get them at the same time as these wet things."

"Okay, I'll bring them. And thanks for cleaning up after those two. I just don't know what I'm going to do when they're like this." He pulled open a drawer and got out some underwear.

"Let me have that wet towel, too. No sense in leaving it in here."

Tenchi unwrapped the towel from his waist and handed it to Sasami. She took it, and he proceeded to put on his underwear as she left the room closing the door behind herself.

As Tenchi was putting a leg in his jeans, something slowly made its way into his thoughts. His eyes widened as he straightened up and looked at the stacked dirty dishes and then the closed door. "Did I just...?" His face reddened.

**TWO:**

A very quiet Tenchi ate his breakfast with his grandfather and Sasami.

After he finished he carried his dishes to the sink in the kitchen. Sasami followed with the empty bowls. Not a word had been said between them.

Sasami started to wash the dirty dishes, and Tenchi picked up the towel to help dry and put them away. Holding a bowl that she had handed him to dry, he finally couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Sasami, I'm sorry about this morning."

Sasami stopped wiping a dish off, and Ryo-Ohki stopped playing with some excess suds on the counter, and gave a tentative "meow." She looked over at Tenchi with surprise on her face. "Sorry about what, Tenchi? Did something happen that I didn't notice?"

Tenchi started to blush, and he began to turn the bowl in his hands. "Well, it's when you asked for the wet towel, and I... uh... I gave it to you. I wasn't thinking at the time. I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

Giving a deep sigh Sasami reached over and took the bowl from Tenchi, and set it on the counter. She looked him in the eye and shook her head. "Tenchi, I needed to take the towel down stairs to be cleaned. And it's not like I saw anything new. Remember when we were at the hot springs, and the baths here at the house, when you just happened to drop in. Now forget it and let's finish cleaning up. You have to go into town with me to do some shopping."

Tenchi's eyes had gotten bigger, his face reddened a bit more, and he dropped the dish towel. Picking it up from the floor, with a thoughtful look he stared into the distance. Quietly he said, "Right...I think." and started to dry more bowls. He felt much better.

The resident pirate's head was poked around the corner of the kitchen. Ryoko was watching and listening to the entire conversation. Ayeka's voice behind her made her turn around.

"All right you pest! What are you doing now? Sneaking around trying to get close to my Tenchi?" The princess stood over her with her arms crossed.

"Quiet, miss priss. I'm trying to hear what your sister and my Tenchi are talking about."

Ayeka leaned over Ryoko's head to look around the corner. "They just seem to be doing the dishes. It's terrible that Sasami makes my future husband do the dishes."

"Well I don't see you volunteering to do them! What bothers me is she didn't even ask MY future husband for the help. I don't like the look of this at all. Get your hand off my head you ugly princess!"

Yosho quietly walked up behind the two peepers and cleared his throat. "Ahem, have you two found anything interesting around that corner?"

Both girls were surprised enough to fall over into the kitchen with a thud.

Turning around, Tenchi and Sasami looked at the tangled pair on the floor, with grandfather standing over them.

Sasami sighed and turned back to her washing. "Tenchi, I think we need to go on to town before anything else happens around here." Tenchi just stared at the girls, both of whom had big self conscious grins on their faces.

"Jeez, what next with those two?"

**THREE:**

The trip into town was full of the usual small talk and laughs. Tenchi actually enjoyed going with Sasami, it was like a small vacation from the other girls. Somehow he always felt at peace with the young princess. Not at all like the times Ryoko and Ayeka would try to outdo each other for his attention.

Sasami had been doing some window shopping as they went along. Coming to a store front she suddenly stopped and stared inside.

"Tenchi, we need to go in here. I see just what I want."

Tenchi looked at the window and the name over the door. "This is a dress shop! We don't need anything in here."

Sasami looked at him with a small grin. "'We' don't need anything here. I need something here, silly." She put on an exaggerated thoughtful look. "Of course you might look good in that dress over there. We would have to do your hair different, but I'm sure it would look good."

Tenchi shook his head and held the door open for his young princess.

"You sit over there while I try on some things. And don't let me catch you staring at all the pretty girls!"

Ryoko and Ayeka hid in an alley across the street, taking stealthy looks at the couple in front of the dress store.

"What are they doing there? Sasami said she needed groceries!" Ryoko pushed Ayeka's head away.

"Let me see, move over! She's your sister, why would she be taking my Tenchi in a dress store? Can we get over there without being seen?"

With the pirate and princess giving full attention to the store across the street, they didn't hear the policeman walk up behind them. At least they didn't notice until he tapped Ryoko on the shoulder.

"Is there anything I may help you with? You seem to have a great interest in that shop across the street. Would you like to know the hours that it's open? I'm not being nosy of course, I just take an interest in strangers that seem to be checking out stores on my beat. You understand I'm sure."

Ayeka turned three shades of red. The pirate had experience with various police forces on several planets. Ryoko put on her most innocent face.

"Oh, Thank you Mr. Policeman! We haven't been in town for a while and were lost. Could you please direct us to the closest grocer?" She gave a little laugh.

The policeman smiled back. "I'll be glad to personally take you to that shop, if you don't mind of course? I do like to be helpful to our citizens."

Through the window of the dress shop, Tenchi watched his resident crown princess and pirate being escorted from an alley by a policeman. "Jeez, why do I ever wonder what those two can get into next?" His attention was interrupted by Sasami's voice.

"Tenchi, what do you think of this outfit?"

He turned around to find Sasami and the clerk standing in front of him. She did a turn, showing off the western style skirt and blouse that she was trying on. Tenchi's mouth fell open and his eyes widened. He looked at a completely different Sasami from the girl that had brought him into the shop. With difficulty he finally choked out, "Sasami, you have er, ahh..., you have, well, er, shape!"

Sasami giggled, and the clerk leaned over to her, "Your boyfriend blushes easily, doesn't he? Do you think he likes the outfit?"

"Oh, I'm sure he likes it. Would you please put them in a bag for me, we'll take both." All Tenchi could manage was a slow head nod in the affirmative.

**FOUR:**

Tenchi made the walk down the street to the shoe shop look as if he had too much saki. He ran into at least one person, while Sasami managed to guide him around other obstacles. His eyes were still wide, and he had trouble taking them off the young woman that he had suddenly found next to him. Sasami would glance over at him and giggle.

He had just begun to come to his senses by the time they reached the grocers a few blocks away. Sasami held his arm, while he held the bags from the shops. Ahead he saw the same policeman standing outside the store that earlier had escorted Ayeka and Ryoko from the alley.

"Tenchi, why is that policeman watching the shop so closely? Do you suppose there's something going on in there?"

Just then Ayeka and Ryoko stepped from inside the grocer's. Ayeka held a small bag, and both were smiling, and both looked as if they were guilty of some grave crime. Sasami let go of Tenchi and ran up to the two girls.

"Ayeka, Ryoko, what are you doing here? I had the list with me, was there something else we needed?"

The policeman looked over at Tenchi and Sasami, and gave a salute. "Do you know these people, sir?"

Sasami looked at the guilty pair. Tenchi sighed and told the policeman that, yes, they were known to him. The two girls in question relaxed some.

Watching the princess and pirate from the corner of his eye, the officer leaned over to Tenchi. "Sir, if you hadn't vouched for them I'm afraid I would have had to take them in. The dark haired one in particular was acting very suspicious." Ayeka's face looked like she would explode. Ryoko was biting her lip to keep from laughing.

Sasami looked at her older sister. "Officer, I think you did the right thing. We never can tell what that one will do." Ryoko almost fell on the ground from laughing so hard.

While the four were finishing the shopping at the grocer, the shop keeper kept a close eye on Ayeka and Ryoko. His suspicions had been aroused since they had been in earlier and made a such a small purchase after looking around far too long.

Sasami held to Tenchi's arm as the group boarded the bus for home. Ryoko and Ayeka had been very quiet, and took the seat behind Tenchi and the young princess. Ayeka kept looking at her sister the same way she usually looked at Ryoko, with daggers coming from her eyes. She wouldn't look at Ryoko at all. Sasami had parceled out the packages between the four, and Tenchi found himself still with the dress and shoe bags. Every so often Sasami would turn and give a big grin to the two girls in the seat behind her. Each time the favored pair would fume a little more.

**FIVE:**

The walk from the bus stop to the house was punctuated with not so quiet outbursts between Ryoko and Ayeka. Tenchi walked fast to distance himself from the feuding pair. Sasami stayed right with him still holding to his arm.

The evening meal was prepared and eaten quietly. Afterward Ayeka and Ryoko both almost fell over themselves to help clear the dirty dishes and volunteer to clean up. Tenchi stood over to one side scratching his head trying to figure out what was going on. Grandfather raised an eyebrow and gave a knowing "hmm."

As evening came Tenchi walked out to the walkway by the lake. It had grown quiet and still, and he needed to do some thinking. The girls were finishing up in the house, and didn't need his help. Sitting down on the edge of the walkway, he looked at the mirror-like water. Soft footsteps came up behind him. Without looking around he knew who had come.

"Want to sit here beside me Sasami? I think there's room."

She sat down, letting her legs dangle just above the water. No words were spoken out loud between them. Minutes passed as the sky darkened. Still looking at the far side of the lake Tenchi began the conversation.

"Sasami, what is going on here? Why do I feel so at ease with you around me? Why do I feel like you are supposed to be with me? Why don't I feel that way with Ayeka and Ryoko?" He turned his head toward the changed princess and waited for answers.

Sasami watched the stars coming out, and their reflection in the mirror of the lake. As she leaned out a little from the walkway, her reflection showed in the water. The reflection of Tsunami.

"Tenchi, how much do you remember of the battle at the Souja?"

Tenchi thought a minute before answering. "I know that I was in the living area of Ayeka's Ryuoh to try and control it's Light Hawk Wings for attack. And then there was a flash. The next thing I remember is being on the ship Tsunami." His face showed concentration. "No, that's not right, I wasn't on the Tsunami, I was in Tsunami, I was a part of Tsunami." He turned toward Sasami, she still looked over the water. "Tsunami was there in front of me, and she said that it was your ship. Then she touched my forehead with hers, and I felt power through my body."

Tenchi had a look of confusion. "What happened after I saw the flash of light? How did I get to Tsunami?"

Sasami still looked at the dark water. "Tenchi, you know now that Tsunami saved my life by joining with me after I fell on Jurai so many years ago. If she hadn't I would have been killed. When the battle at the Souja began, if you remember, I was left here at the house on earth." Sasami turned her head toward Tenchi. "I knew everything that was going on because I was a part of Tsunami." She looked back over the water.

"Tenchi, I knew what was going to happen before it occurred. I coupled myself with Yosho's tree and became one with Tsunami. I found your mangled body protected by some of Ryuoh's branches, your life, for all practical purposes, was gone." Sasami reached over and took Tenchi's hand. "I, or we, joined your being with ours. If we hadn't you would have remained dead. When you awoke in the ship Tsunami, your body had been made whole again by our power. In joining with us your latent Juraian power was increased far beyond what it should have been. You have the power of Tsunami in you." She squeezed the hand she held and smiled up at Tenchi. "Tenchi, you have my power, and you are a part of me. You and I are one, and have been since that day. We can never be separated from each other." She leaned up and gave him a small kiss on the cheek.

Giving a small laugh, Tenchi looked over at Sasami. "So that's why this feels so right?" He held up the hand in his. "And what does your sister think of this I wonder?"

"What do I think about what?" Ayeka was standing behind the couple, with her hands on her hips.

"Yeah, what should I think about? Forget the ugly princess here." Ryoko was right beside Ayeka.

Both the princess and the pirate looked at Tenchi holding Sasami's hand. Both did a loud intake of breath. Ayeka managed to say something first.

"You pervert! My intended husband is a pervert that fools around with young children! Babes still in their cradles! You should be ashamed of yourself, Tenchi Masaki."

"So holding hands with that brat princess! Think I'm not good enough to be your only wife, do you? Do you think I'm supposed to share you with that child?" Anger flushed Ryoko's face.

Tenchi sat, still holding Sasami's hand, and stared at the very angry girls that leaned over him. He couldn't think of a thing to say, and figured it was better to say nothing.

"We saw you two snuggling out here from the house. Can't leave you alone for a minute can we?" Ryoko looked over at Ayeka. "This is all your fault you know! He was supposed to be just mine, and then you and the brat came in."

The angry pair both looked at the uncomfortable, squirming Tenchi. Then they looked at each other and nodded.

"So you have the hots for younger girls, do you. Well this may cool you off some." Reaching out they grabbed the love of their lives and threw him into the lake. "And you too, child!" Sasami landed near Tenchi in the cold water.

As the pirate and princess walked back down the walkway, Ayeka called over her shoulder, "We may let you back in the house. But only if you straighten yourselves out first! Tenchi Masaki, you know you are supposed to be my husband!"

The pirate would have none of that. "Look, prissy pants, I saw him first and he's mine! Hands off. And that goes for the brat too."

The argument went downhill from there. Tenchi and Sasami could hear the fighting all the way to the house.

Finally, as the fighting pair disappeared into the house, Tenchi looked over at the wet princess near him in the lake. "Do you suppose this means they won't bring me breakfast in bed any more?" Sasami swam over to him, and dunked his head under the water when she got within reach.

"Any of your breakfasts in bed will be served by me. Not yet, of course, my husband-to-be. Later."


End file.
